Paper making machine



Jan. 24, 1939.

W. H. MILLSPAUGH PAPER MAKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 3, 1936 /INVENTOB hwy (4,41%

ATTORNEY Jan. 24, 1939. w H, MILLSPAUGH 2,144,770

PAPER MAKING MACHINE Filed June 5, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 AINVE NI 'OR c; ATTORNEY PAPER MAKING MACHINE Filed Jun 3, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNVENTOR WM W BY 1 1 'M M I ATTO NEY Patented Jan. 24, 1939 PATENT OFFICE PAPER MAKING MACHINE William Huise Millspaug-h, Sandusky, Ohio, as-

signor to Sandusky Foundry and Machine Co., Sandusky, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 3, 1936, Serial No. 83,209 In Great Britain June 4, 1935 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in paper making machines and particularly to the presses and felts used therein, whereby a single or multiply wet web of paper is subjected to pressure for the removal of water therefrom on its passage from the paper forming portion or portions of the machine to the drier portion of the machine. In the conventional construction of press heretofore used, comprising a lower suction 1 roll having therein an upper stationary suction box, and an upper co-acting plain roll, that is to say, an unperforated roll, between which a felt carrying a wet web of paper passes, or between which two felts carrying an interposed wet web of paper passes, and also in an arrangement of i press comprising two superposed co-acting suction rolls each having therein a stationary suction box, as described in Patent No. 1,930,104 for Paper making machine, granted to me, the felt or felts with wetweb of paper, covers the segmental perforated portion of the lower-suction roll which is located at the inlet side of the bite between the two rolls, and which communicates with the internal suction box, thus sealing the suction box from direct communication with the external atmosphere at the inlet side of the bite where water is squeezed out or expressed from the wet web of paper and felt or felts. Consequently, the water squeezed out at the inlet side of the said I bite, together with air from the external atmosphere, has to be drawn through the web of paper and felt or felts by the vacuum set up in the suction box by an air and water exhausting pump, which requires the expenditure of considerable power to drive it in order to ensure the production of a sufficiently high degree of vacuum in the suction box to ensure the withdrawal of the water with air, in an effective manner, through the paper and felt or felts referred to.-

When, as in the production of box-board and multiply paper, a wet web of paper-held between upper and lower felts, is passed in a horizontal direction through a succession of presses each comprising two superposed plain rolls, as heretofore, some of the water squeezed out of the paper and felts at the inlet side of the bites between the rolls of the successive presses, passes to the upper side of the upper felt. To effect the removal' of this water, it has been; customary to place on the top side of the upper felt, near to andat the inlet side of the bite, of each :press, a plain wooden board, commonly called a "slice, adapted to form a dam for the squeezed'out water on the upper felt and'to cause such water to flow ,from the central portionofthe said felt laterally in opposite directions and over the edges of the felt, whence it falls into a pit below. Hollow slices, adapted to act as suction slices, have also been used in lieu of plain wooden boards, with the object of removing the squeezed out water more quickly from the upper felt. The use of such slices are not however altogether satisfactory in practice and the disadvantages of running two felts with an interposed web of paper into and through pools of water-adjacent to the inlet side of the bites between thepairs of rolls of the successive presses, is well known in the paper making industry, as also is the detrimental effect of such water on the paper being produced. The water squeezed out of the paper and lower felt falls over the lower roll of each press into the pit below.

A press comprising a suction roll having therein a stationary suction box, and a co-acting plain roll, and a press comprising two co-acting suction rolls, each having therein a stationary suction box, are both hereinafter included in the v generic term, suction press.

The present invention has for its principal object to avoid in a simple, effective and economical manner, the disadvantages above referred to, obtaining with presses and felt or felts as heretofore used.

For this purpose, in a paper making machine embodying a suction press or presses and felt or felts according to the present invention, the stationary suction box within the suction roll of the press, or of each press, is so arranged that the fluid tight packing between one side of the suction box and the inner surface of the suction roll is arranged at the inlet side of the bite between the two co-acting rolls-of the press, and at such" a distance from the bite that perforations in a circular portion or segment of the suction roll at the inlet side of said bite, will be in communication with the interior of the suction box, and the felt or felts carrying a web of wet paper is or are arranged to enter or pass through the said bite in such a direction, for instance in a direction at right angles or nearly so to a plane passing through the axes of the co-acting rolls and through the bite, that the said felt or felts will not closethe whole of the perforations in the said circular portion or segment of the suction roll at the inlet side of the'bite' communicating with the suction box.. The packing between the opposite the bite, or in some beyond thebite. Y I 1 cases, it may extend- The suction roll, or each suction roll, may be an uncovered metal roll, or. it may be a metal roll provided with a perforate rubber covering, the perforations in the rubber covering registering with the perforations in the suction roll, and it may be, of smaller diameter than the latter perforations, as heretofore: usual. When the roll coacting with a suction roll, whether this be rubber covered ornot, is a plain roll, it may be driven by friction from the suction roll, or by power driven mechanism for synchronizing the peripheral speeds of the two rolls. When two co-acting suction rolls are used, whether rubber covered or not, variable speed driving mechanism may be associated therewith for causing them to run at equal peripheral velocities.

A suction press having a suction roll coacting with a plain roll, or two co-acting suction rolls, the suction roll, or each suction roll, having therein a stationary suction box arranged as described, and co-acting felt or felts arranged as described, can be arranged with the plane passing through the axes of the two co-acting rolls and through the bite between the rolls, is a vertical, horizontal or inclined position, to suit requirement. Also, a number of such suction presses arranged in succession and coacting with a felt or felts with wet web of paper, can be used. 7

Also, a supplementary press or presses may be associated with the felt or felts for subjecting the latter and awet web of paper carried thereby, to a preliminary squeezing operation for the removal of water therefrom, and also it may be, for bonding several plies of paper together, before passing to a suction press or presses according to the invention.

The invention can advantageously be applied in connection with paper making machines of various kinds. Thus, it can be applied to a machine of the old type comprising rotary forming cylinders mounted in paperstock vats, or to a machine comprising one or more rotary cylinder vacuum forming units, or to a machine comprising one or more Fourdrinier units.

In the accompanying drawings, Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show in vertical transverse section, and diagrammatically, different arrangements of single suction presses and felts arranged according to the invention. Figs. 5, 6 and '7 show in vertical transverse section, and diagrammatically, different arrangements of multiple suction presses and felts arranged according to the invention. Fig. 8 is a detail view, showing .a modification.

The suction press shown in Fig. 1, comprises 'a lower suction roll I and a plain roll 2 arranged directly above and coacting with the suction roll, so that a plane passing through the axes of the two rolls and through the bite between the rolls, is vertical. The suction roll is provided within its upper portion with a stationary suction box, the rear and front packings of which, that form 'fiuid tight joints with the inner surface of the suction roll, being indicated, as usual, diagrammatically at 3 and 4 respectively. The rear packing 3 is arranged at the inlet side of the bite between the two rolls I and 2 and at such a distance from the bite that the perforations in the segmental portion of the suction roll I between the bite and the said'rear packing 3 will be in communication with the interior of the suction box. is an endless felt on to which a wet web of paper is delivered from the making wire of the paper making machine, or from another endless felt, and which is arranged to pass through the said bite in a direction at right angles, or nearly so, to

the vertical plane passing through the axes of the rolls I and 2 and through the bite, so that it will not close the perforation in such segmental portion of the suction roll, except those at and close to the bite, but will leave them open to the external atmosphere through an angular air space a at the inlet side ahead of the bite, so that water pressed out of the felt and a wet web of paper thereon, when passing through the bite, will be drawn away directly through the uncovered perforations in the said segment of the suction roll, together with external air, into the suction box by the suction or vacuum action set up therein, that is to say, without having to be drawn through the paper and felt at the inlet side of the bite.

Fig. 2 shows an arrangement which comprises two superposed suction press rolls I and I, each provided internally with a stationary suction box and two endless felts 5 and 5 the suction box 3, 4 in the lower suction roller I being provided at the upper portion thereof, and at the inlet side of the bite between the two rolls, for withdrawing water and air as hereinbefore described, and the suction box 3 -4 within the upper suction roll I being arranged within the lower portion of that roll and at the outlet side of the bite and adapted to act as a suction transfer box. The first felt 5 to which a wet web of paper is continuously delivered, passes through the bite at right angles, or nearly so, to a plane passing through the axes of the two rolls and through the bite, as and for the purpose hereinbefore described. The second felt 5 passes through the bite with the first felt 5 and the wet web of paper, which, after passing through the bite and being thus partly dewatered, is transferred from the first felt 5 to the second felt 5 by the action of the suction transfer box 3 4 in the upper suction roll I, in known way, the first felt 5 then returning to the place where a succeeding portion of the wet web of paper will be delivered to it in the ordinary way.

Fig. 3 shows an arrangement of suction press and endless felts similar to that shown in Fig. 2, except that the two rolls I and I are so arranged that the plane passing through their axes and through the bite between them, is inclined to a vertical plane.

Fig. 4 shows another arrangement of suction press and two endless felts according to the invention. In this example the suction press comprises two suction press rolls I and I arranged sideways of each other with their axes in a common horizontal plane passing through the bite between them, and with their internal suction boxes, indicated by their packings 3-4 and 3 4, both extending upward from the said bite and at opposite sides of the vertical plane passing through the bite, means being provided for directing a pair of felts 5-5 with interposed piles of wet paper A vertically downward through the bite between the pair of press rolls, so that the felts will not close the perforations in the segmental circular portions of the two suction rolls above the bite that are in communication with the internal suction boxes, except the perforations at and close to the bite. By this means the water that is continuously being squeezed out of the paper and the felts in opposite directions at the bite, and atthe upper or inlet side thereof, will immediately be drawn off through the two suction boxes within the two suction rolls of the press, together with air direct from the external atmosphere, through the angular air spaces a, and be quickly and effectively disposed of, with the expenditure of very little power on the exhausting pump used for the purpose, and so that the felts and paper will not enter the bite through pools of water.

With a press comprising two suction rolls arranged sideways of each other as above described and shown in Fig. 4, the removal of water from the felts and interposed wet layer of paper, will at least be as effective as with a press comprising two press rolls arranged one above the other, as heretofore.

The arrangement of the press rolls and felts shown in Fig. 4 may advantageously be used in a paper making machine adapted for making mill board or multiply paper. For this purpose a number of suction presses, each comprising a pair of suction rolls I-P arranged as in Fig. 4,

may advantageously bearranged one above the other in a standard B, as shown in Fig. 5, the two felts 5, 5, with a number of wet plies of paper between them, being led vertically downward through the successive bites of the several suction presses, the water pressed from the combined felts and the interposed plies of wet paper, at each bite, being drawn off direct, together with external air, throughthe angular air spaces a, by the suction boxes 34 and 3H within the two suction rolls I and 1 of each press. One only of the felts 5, 5 may have plies of wet paper applied thereto, or each of the feltsmay have plies of wet paper applied thereto, before reaching the suction press or presses.

Various means may be used for directing the two felts 5, 5* with interposed wet plies of, paper vertically downward through the suction press, or superposed suction presses. Thus as shown in Fig. 5, the two felts 5, 5 may be arranged to pass in the same direction, with the plies of paper between them, through the bite between a lower suction roll 6 and an upper plain roll I of a suction press (hereinafter called for distinction, an auxiliary top press) for the purpose of bonding theplies of paper together and for removal of water from the plies and felts, and arranged to deliver the bonded plies with their felts vertically downward through the bites of the superposed suction presses l--|. The two felts may, as shown, be arranged to pass in a more or less horizontal direction between the superposed suction and plain rolls 6 and 'l of the auxiliary top press in such manner that the suction box 3-4 arranged within the upper portion of roll 5 will be in direct communication through the adjacent holes in the suction roll, with the external atmosphere, for the purpose hereinbefore explained. Each felt 5, 5 may receive for instance three plies ofwet paper, transferred to it by the aid of suction transfer rolls 8 and 9 from making wires f and H, one of which, namely Ill, receives a ply of paper from one paper forming unit of the machine, for instance a rotary cylinder vacuum forming-unit, and the other wire, namely ll, receives two plies of paper from other units of the paper making machine. One only ofthe two felts 5, may however carry one or more plies of wet paper the other felt acting as a supporting or backing felt. Or, as shown in Fig. 6, the two felts 5 and 5 with interposed wet plies of paper may be directed vertically downward through the bite of arranged above the bite between the rolls.

Or, as shown in Fig. 7, the two felts 5, 5 with plies of paper, may be fed over two adjacent but separate upper plain rolls I2 and I3 and then be directed vertically downward with the interposed plies of paper, through the bites of the superposed suction presses l and l below.

The two felts after passing with the interposed plies of paper through the superposed suction presses I and l are returned in opposite directions to receive further plies of paper, the partly dried sheet of multiply paper being led away separately, as indicated at A in Fig. 5, for further treatment, as for example in the drier portion of the machine. I

Each of the two suction rolls I, I of the suction press, or of each suction press of the successive suction presses, may be an uncovered metal roll, or one of them may be' an uncovered metal suction roll and the other beprovided with a perforated rubber covering, or both of them may, or in the examples shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 7, be provided with a perforated rubber covering H. The suction rolls may be so pressed together are arranged one above the other, as will usually be the case, and only one roll of each press is positively driven, it will be advantageous to arrange the rolls that are only frictionally driven, alternately at opposite sides of a vertical plane passing through the bites of the superposed presses.

By arranging a number of suction presses one above another as described, the length of the press portion of the paper making machine of which they form part, is made small, so that for a paper making machine of given length, a greater number of driers can be used, thus enabling the paper being made, to be run ;at a high speed through the machine.

Means may be provided to direct a spray of water against the return portion of each felt, for the purpose of washing it, and also means for the removal of the washing water from the felt. Fig. 8 shows a nozzle I5 for directing a jet of water against the returning portion of one of the felts, namely 5, for the purpose of washing it. The washed portion of the felt may afterwards be directed upward through a bite formed between an additional plain roll l6 and one of the suction rolls of one of the suction presses, say the roll 0 of the lowermost suction press I, l, which is provided with a second internal horizontally arranged suction box, indicated by its packings 3 4 opposite to its main suction box 3-4 and adjacent to the said auxiliary plain roll I 6 and in direct communication, it may be, with the external atmosphere.

A suction press or presses and felt or felts according to the invention, can be embodied in paper making machines of various kinds.

What I claim is:-

1. In a paper making machine, a suction press comprising a perforated suction roll, a second roll cooperating therewith, an endless press felt arranged to travel through the bite of said rolls, means for guiding said felt for movement towards said bite, a suction box in said suction roll having means at its forward endfor sealing engagement with the interior of the roll at a point adjacent the bite of the roll and having means at its rear end insealing engagement with the interior of the roll at a point some substantial distance ahead of the bite of the rolls at the inlet side and substantially ahead of the initial point of contact of said suction roll with the felt and providing a segmental suction area beginning some substantial distance ahead of the initial point of contact of said suction roll with the felt to place the space at the inlet side just ahead of the point of engagement of the felt with the suction roll under suction.

2. In a paper making machine, a suction press comprising a perforated suction roll, a second roll cooperating therewith, an endless press felt arranged to travel through the bite of said rolls, means for guiding said felt towards and into said bite in a substantially straight line extending substantially at right angles to a plane passing through the axes of the rolls,'a suction box in said suction roll having means at its forward end for sealing engagement with the interior of the roll at a point adjacent the bite of the'roll and having means at its rear end for sealing engagement with the interior of the roll at a point some substantial distance ahead of the bite of the rolls at the inlet side and substantially ahead of the initial point of contact of said suction roll with the felt to place the space at the inlet side just ahead of the point of engagement of the felt with the suction roll under suction.

3. In a paper making machine, a suction press comprising a pair of cooperating perforated suction rolls, endless paper carrying press felts arranged to travel through the bite of said rolls, means for guiding said felts for movement towards said bite, a stationary'suction box in each of said suction rolls, each suction box having means at its forward end for sealing engagement with the interior of its respective roll at a point adjacent the bite of the rolls and having means at its rear end for sealing engagement with the interior of its respective roll at a point some distance ahead of the bite of the rolls at the inlet side and substantially ahead of the initial point of contact of the roll with its respective felt to place the space at the inlet side just ahead of the point of engagement of its respective felt with its roll under suction.

4. In a paper making machine, a suction press comprising a pair of perforated suction rolls having their axes arranged in a common horizontal plane and a pair of endless press felts arranged to travel vertically downwardly towards and through the bite of said rolls, a stationary suction box in each of said suction rolls, each suction box having means at its forward end for sealing engagement with the interior of its respective roll at a point adjacent the bite of the rolls and having means at its rear end for sealing engagement with the interior of the roll at a point some substantial distance ahead of the bite of the rolls at the inlet side and substantially ahead of the initial point of contact of said suction roll with its respective felt to place the space at the inlet side just ahead of the point of engagement of its respective felt with the suction roll under suction.

5. In a paper making machine, a press arrangement comprising a series of successive presses arranged one above the other, a pair of adjacent paper carrying felts arranged to pass vertically down through said presses, each of said presses comprising a pair of coacting suction rolls having their axes arranged in a common horizontal plane and each having a stationary suction box arranged to provide a segmental suction area beginning some substantial distance ahead of the bite of the rolls and some substantial distance ahead of the initial point of contact of a roll with its respective felt at the inlet side of the bite.

6. In a paper making machine, a press arrangement comprising a series of successive presses arranged one above the other, a, pair of adjacent paper carrying felts arranged to pass vertically down through said presses, each of said presses comprising a pair of coacting suction rolls having their axes arranged in a common horizontal plane and each having a stationary suction box arranged to provide a segmental suction area beginning at the inlet side some substantial distance ahead of the bite of the rolls and some substantial distance ahead of the initial point of contact of a roll with its respective felt, and an auxiliary top press from which the felts move to said series and comprising a pair of cooperating superposed rolls the lower one being a suction roll having a stationary suction box providing a segmental suction area beginning at the inlet side some substantial distance ahead of the initial point of contact of said roll with its respective felt.

7. In a paper making machine, a press arrangement comprising a series of successive suction presses arranged one above the other, -a pair of adjacent paper carrying felts arranged to pass vertically down through said presses, each of said presses comprising a pair of coacting suc-' tion rolls having their axes arranged in a common horizontal plane and each having a stationary suction box arranged to provide a suction area beginning at the inlet side some substantial distance ahead of the bite of the rolls and some substantial distance ahead of the initial point of contact of a roll with its respective felt, a nozzle for projecting a jet of water against one of said felts, and a supplementary press through which the washed felt passes on its return travel to said suction presses.

8. In a paper making machine, a press arrangement comprising a series of successive presses arranged one above the other, a pair of adjacent paper carrying felts arranged to pass vertically down through said presses, each of said presses comprising a pain of coacting suction rolls having their axes arranged in a common horizontal plane and each having a stationary suction box arranged to provide a segmental suction area beginning at the inlet side some substantial distance ahead of the bite of the rolls and some substantial distance ahead of tire initial point of contact of a roll with its respective felt, one of said suction rolls having a second suction box, a supplementary press roll cooperating with said second suction box and said one suction roll to receive one of said felts therebetween, and means for washing said felt before WILLIAM HULSE MILLSPAUGH. 

